- 6 months ago
This panel will focus on how Back changemakers use their passions in art, fashion, and other hobbies to spark meaningful change and build powerful collaborations. Rising Future Maker alumni will share how they've embraced their authenticity and used their unique talents to lead and inspire. The moderator will steer the conversation toward embracing individuality and celebrating that Black creatives are no longer seeking a seat at the table - they are already there, shaping the conversation.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
00:02Ooh, do y'all have the itis?
00:05Yeah, low-key?
00:06Look, somebody said low-key.
00:07I feel like it's high-key.
00:08Welcome back!
00:11Now that you're settled in and your bellies are full,
00:14you got to grab some content.
00:16We're going to go ahead and get back into it.
00:18So, by a show of hands,
00:20how many people have AT&T as their carrier?
00:22You know they have the best phone service, right?
00:26How many? Raise your hands.
00:27How many people? AT&T?
00:30You got all your bars right now?
00:32Everything good?
00:33Hold on, wait. They're calling me.
00:37Hello?
00:39Not AT&T calling me, y'all.
00:42I'm working, man.
00:46Who?
00:47The AT&T Rise and Future Makers Program?
00:51Hold on, let me sit down for this.
00:55You said what now?
00:57What?
00:58What?
01:00They're giving away $5,000?
01:02What?
01:04So, you mean to tell me
01:06that y'all are selecting 25 HBCU students across the nation
01:10and connecting them to top exclusive content events
01:13and on top of the line mentors?
01:16What?
01:16When and where can they apply?
01:21They're looking at me right now.
01:22You got to make this quick.
01:23I'm at work.
01:25Yeah, they look real confused.
01:28Y'all write this down.
01:29Everybody, take out your phones right now.
01:31They told me I have to send you a message.
01:33I need you to write this down.
01:34You can apply at ATT.com, right?
01:37ATT.com slash RFM Showcase.
01:42By November 2nd, that's just three weeks away.
01:45You know what?
01:47Well, thank you, AT&T, for investing in the future generation.
01:52Yeah, you wasted my time.
01:54This is taking too long.
01:55Okay.
01:56I'll talk to you later.
01:58It's so funny.
01:59AT&T, shout out to them.
02:00They're so crazy.
02:00You know, it's funny that they call, because our next panel is powered by our friends at
02:05the AT&T Rise and Future Makers Program.
02:08Let's give a warm welcome to the GU Social Lead, Ryan Sampson, to kick off this next conversation.
02:14Make some noise for the AT&T architects of the next era.
02:22Hi, Atlanta.
02:24Like she said, my name, ooh, I'm talking fast.
02:28My name is Ryan Sampson.
02:30I'm the GU Social Lead for Essence Girls United, and I am so excited to kick off this next panel.
02:36We're going to be talking all things creativity and HBCUs, and as an HBCU alum myself, I am
02:42just excited to dive into this.
02:44So please give a warm welcome to introduce Jazz Turner, Kamina Griffin, and Kaylin Strahan
02:50to the stage.
02:56It's a walk up.
02:58Hi, ladies.
02:59Hi.
03:00All right.
03:07So starting off, we kind of know a little bit about you, and we are here.
03:12So many people were so excited to come out and see you and support you, just the people
03:17within your community.
03:18So can each of you share your journey from HBCU student to where you are today and kind
03:23of highlight a key moment that really ignited your passion, and whoever wants to start?
03:28I'll start.
03:30Hi, my name is Jasmine Turner, but I am a proud graduate of Spelman College.
03:39I graduated.
03:40I was an English major, LLC 1.
03:45So I graduated in 2019, fully set on becoming a sports and entertainment attorney.
03:50But that is just not how life works, you know, you tell God your plans and he giggles, he laughs.
03:57So I went to law school, very long story.
04:00I ended up switching over to the business school.
04:03And in business school, I had a lot more time on my hands, did the whole social media thing,
04:08downloaded it, and just fell in love with the community that I garnered off of there.
04:12And I think the moment for me, that kind of that transition from HBCU, Spelman, and everything
04:18is at Spelman, all women, all black, I think one of my co-hosts called it a black Barbie
04:24land.
04:25I think it's very special.
04:27Every single comment that I get is from a black woman going through the same thing that
04:31I've gone through.
04:32And they're giving me advice, I give them advice.
04:35So I don't know if there was an exact moment.
04:36I think every single day, there are little moments that show me like why I do this, and why
04:42it's so important to me to give back to y'all.
04:44Y'all give back to me.
04:46So yeah.
04:47Beautiful.
04:47Kamina, what about you?
04:48Hi, everyone.
04:49My name is Kamina Griffin.
04:51I'm actually a 2025 graduating senior attending Spelman College.
04:56I double major in econ and women's studies, and I'm a 2023 AT&T writing future maker.
05:03So ultimately, I came into Spelman wanting to be a biochemistry major, thinking I was going
05:08to be an OBGYN.
05:10That was not God's plan.
05:11That was my plan.
05:13And actually, with AT&T, I went to the women's final four, and I've always had a passion for
05:18sports, but seeing women in sports, working in sports, on the forefront of sports, that's
05:23when I knew that's what I wanted to do.
05:27So now I'm an aspiring corporate lawyer.
05:29I want to negotiate contracts between players and agencies, and I'm just honestly happy to
05:35be here.
05:35Well, I guess it's my turn, huh?
05:40My name is Kaylin Strahan.
05:41I'm originally from Chicago, Illinois.
05:44I graduated from Clark, Atlanta.
05:46So thank you.
05:49So I'm sitting up here with my AUC sisters, but it's just, you know, across the grass.
05:55But I started at Clark in 2016 and graduated in, I mean, 2020 and graduated in 2024.
06:04I am now in Houston, starting my life as a corporate baddie.
06:13So it has been very interesting, but I will say this.
06:17Being at Clark, Atlanta, and I'm sure anyone can attest to this, when you're at an HVCU for
06:25however long, it will prepare you for life.
06:30I promise, being at Clark, Atlanta has prepared me for everything that I've been, you know,
06:36having to go through being the youngest black woman, the only black woman in this setting.
06:42So I am so blessed to have been a part of the CAU, AUC community because that truly has
06:49prepared me.
06:50And if anyone's thinking about going into corporate or you're in corporate, I know you
06:54can, you know, agree with me.
06:57You need those opportunities to learn at other places so you're not looked at as less than,
07:05you're not looked at as you are not as knowledgeable as people that, you know, you work with, that
07:12you're sitting next to.
07:13So HVCU life, it was difficult.
07:16I'm not going to sit up here and lie.
07:18I had to go through some things at the HVCU.
07:21But it is a blessing and it was God's plan because I am a better woman, black woman, and
07:26creative because of that.
07:28Beautiful.
07:29Y'all can clap.
07:32Now for my next question, Jaz, I want to ask you, how have you embraced your unique identity
07:37and background in your work?
07:38And how has this authenticity influenced your creative process?
07:43So I think I get a lot of comments with, you know, young women being like, I don't, I
07:50don't know.
07:51I want to start social media, but I don't know if my story is unique.
07:55I don't know if I can add to it.
07:56I don't know if I have like this aesthetic.
07:57And I say all the time, like you just being you is so unique and so powerful.
08:04We all have stuff that we've gone through in our life that somebody can relate to.
08:10You can't go through hard stuff in life and just let it sit.
08:13You have to use that story to impact somebody else, whether it's through social media, whether
08:17it's through whatever.
08:19And I think that's exactly what I did through my story, my globe story, losing my dad, leaving
08:25law school, my life falling apart, putting it back together, you know, bit by bit, you
08:31know, maybe that story from like the outside looking in, you know, it's just a girl putting
08:35her life back together.
08:36But I found that that story and my perspective on it was so unique.
08:41And I noticed that when I first started off with social media, I was on TikTok and I would
08:46just make, you know, morning routines, like aesthetic morning routines with music.
08:50And I was talking to a social media strategist and I was like, I feel like I'm plateauing,
08:54like, I don't know.
08:55And she was like, just try using your voice, try and using your story.
08:59So I honestly just started picking up the camera and just starting talking to the camera.
09:03And you would be surprised at that vulnerability and that authenticity, how my social media skyrocketed.
09:09And I would argue that that would work with whatever you're doing.
09:13If you remain authentic, if you remain to yourself, then whatever you put your passion in and using
09:19that vulnerability, whatever you do will like skyrocket.
09:23And I've seen it.
09:23I've seen it happen.
09:24And I would argue that I wouldn't be where I'm at today if I wasn't authentic, if I wasn't
09:30vulnerable every single day.
09:33Social media will tear you apart.
09:34But I've also found that it will also put you back together.
09:37I think my community brings me up a lot.
09:39And I think it's through that vulnerability, it's through their vulnerability that I gain a
09:43lot of strength.
09:44That's beautiful.
09:45And I'm also a proponent of believing that authenticity is the ultimate way to connect.
09:51I don't think there's an era where we need to keep up appearances just to keep up appearances.
09:57People really want to feel like they can have some relation to you.
10:00And I feel like each of you are, whatever way that you're doing it, are using your platforms,
10:05your voices to amplify that.
10:06And that honestly goes into my next question.
10:09So purpose is something that we're seeing become more top of mind for corporations like
10:13AT&T, who believes in connecting changes everything.
10:17So what is a personal brand purpose for you and what kind of fuels that fire?
10:26So when I first started my social media, I was in business school.
10:32And at first I was just uploading, you know, just because it was fun.
10:36You know, I could add something to it.
10:38It was cool.
10:40Like it was fun to post and get comments or whatever.
10:42And then I got management and things got real.
10:46We started talking about, you know, quarterly goals and, you know, how to curate the content.
10:51And I started thinking about my brand's purpose.
10:54I was like, OK, like these girls are really listening to me.
10:57Like I'm not just kind of sharing my story.
10:59Like people are actually taking advice.
11:00I can't just say anything.
11:02I have to have I have to have a purpose on this Internet.
11:05And, you know, I go back and forth and I've talked to multiple people and sometimes people
11:10say that it's too niche.
11:12My purpose on the Internet is so that black women can rest.
11:15That's like my only purpose.
11:17I believe in rest.
11:18I believe in convenience.
11:20I believe in what luxury means to you.
11:22And I'm very niche with that.
11:24And I've been I've been told, like, maybe expand it.
11:27And it's like, no, I went to Spelman College.
11:29Like, I believe black women should rest.
11:31I think we should travel.
11:33I think we should experience life.
11:34I think we should take a day off to follow our passions like that is truly my brand's
11:41purpose.
11:41And I think it comes out in whatever I do, whether you see a morning routine, whether
11:47you see a YouTube video, whether you see me talking to the camera, you can clearly see
11:52that I'm using my identity as a black woman.
11:54But I'm also talking to you as a black woman.
11:56And I'm also encouraging you and motivating you that you can achieve your dreams, but you
12:01ain't got to hustle and go hard and, you know, expend yourself and, you know, tire yourself
12:07out.
12:07There's a way to do it that is softer, that is more authentic.
12:12So, yeah, that's what I would say.
12:14Amazing.
12:14And Kamina, you touched on this earlier as well.
12:17You are amplifying sports, black women in sports specifically, especially in that area, in that
12:24realm where we are honestly so picked apart.
12:26We are not often seen and we've seen disruptors break into that.
12:30So tying that question into what you do, how, what is your purpose?
12:35What drives your purpose?
12:37So for me, what really drives my purpose is my Spelman sisters.
12:41Like, honestly, I see my Spelman sister, Nia.
12:43We've been friends since freshman year before we even entered the gates of Spelman.
12:47And even still, you're always taught to be successful, you have to be a doctor or a lawyer.
12:52Or you maybe have to go into finance nowadays.
12:55But really, as I was telling Jess earlier, I learned that to be successful, you have to
13:00really hone in on your purpose and what you want to do.
13:03And with biochemistry, I didn't want to do that.
13:05I looked at a dollar sign and it didn't make me happy.
13:08I was struggling in chemistry classes.
13:10I was barely getting any rest.
13:11And being transparent, if I can be honest and blunt with you guys, don't ever wait on
13:16people's permission to tell you what you can and can't do.
13:19That weighs so much time.
13:20So much time when it can be an action point.
13:23It can be an action time.
13:24So after my immersion trip in April with AT&T, what I did was I reached back out to those
13:29who I met and they put me in contact with those who worked at NBA.
13:33Hey, the W, I have a really good connection at the Atlanta Dream.
13:38And it's all because I reached out over LinkedIn.
13:40And trust me, I'm the type of person where I'm not shy.
13:42I will follow up in a week, two weeks maybe, get a little 30-minute call in.
13:46And I was being real with them.
13:47Hey, I'm just now breaking into sports.
13:50I really don't even know the whole logistics.
13:52I'm not starting in this industry, but can you help me?
13:55And being vulnerable, but being open to not only that guidance, but also just seeing where
14:02I would fit in it, that's helped me a lot and drive my purpose.
14:07Kaylin?
14:08I agree with what you said.
14:12But I think my family really drives me, really motivates me.
14:17My mom, you know, single mom raising my older brother and I.
14:22So I saw the struggles.
14:26I saw the challenges.
14:28And my mom and so many of our parents are probably like, whatever I had to go through, I don't
14:34want you to have to go through that.
14:36Whatever my life was, I want yours to be better.
14:38And my mother really honed in on that my entire life.
14:44It was her life's purpose and is her life's purpose to ensure that her children are taken
14:51care of and they have better lives than she had.
14:55And so being up here in front of you all and doing the things that I so love to do, you
15:01know, having a voice, being able to inspire whenever given the opportunity is something
15:06that really means the world to me.
15:08Because I'm like, if one person, here's what I say.
15:12If one person tells me, I like that, you know, I agree with that.
15:16I can connect with that.
15:17Then I've done my job, my due diligence, because I always look at my mom and she's always pouring
15:24so much into me.
15:25And I'm like, how rude would I be if you are saying so much to me, but I'm not giving anyone
15:34else an opportunity to hear the same wisdom that you've been imparting into me my entire
15:38life.
15:39So my mother, I know she's probably watching, she's not here, but she is definitely my greatest
15:45motivation.
15:46And because of her, I will continue to work as hard as I work every single day to ensure
15:52that not only she's proud, but God is also proud of me.
15:57Amazing.
15:57And that's that authenticity we were talking about.
16:01I also come from a single mother.
16:03And if I start talking about her, I will start crying.
16:06So I'm going to keep it short.
16:07But it's beautiful to see how you kind of take those lessons and that motivation from
16:14someone who is honestly like a superhero in your life and that go-to person.
16:18So again, I'm not going to go on because I will burst out in tears, but I love that answer.
16:24And thank you for sharing that with us.
16:27And I want to bounce the question back to you.
16:29How has your HBCU experience kind of really shaped who you are?
16:34Oh, Lord.
16:35I was telling y'all a little bit earlier, I went through some things at an HBCU, but I
16:40will honestly say Clark Atlanta has been such an amazing place to just mold me as an
16:48individual.
16:49Not only was I able to be a part of everything that I wanted to be a part of, I mean, you
16:55name it, SGA, I was an athlete all four years, and I've been an athlete for my entire life.
17:00But just being able to gain all of those connections and networks and being able to knock on my professor's
17:09door like, hey, I may need to retake that test, you know, just things like that has really
17:15shaped me into the individual that I am.
17:17And then on top of that, I've had so many opportunities to really show people what I can do.
17:26Like, you have so many opportunities to sit back and say nothing.
17:29You know, like, every opportunity is an opportunity to sit back and say nothing.
17:33But when you actually put yourself in a position to speak, and like Jazz was saying earlier,
17:40you know, to ensure that people know that you're in the room, you have to.
17:45I mean, you have to take it.
17:46And like I was saying earlier, you know, being in corporate as, you know, young black woman,
17:51only black woman sometimes, you're looked at as maybe she doesn't know as much.
17:55You know, maybe she's not supposed to be here.
17:58And imposter syndrome, y'all, is real.
18:00It is real.
18:02And I see you.
18:03Like, you will be sitting.
18:05I have sat in places.
18:07And I'm like, should I be here?
18:09Like, you know, I don't know what they're talking about.
18:12I don't know what they're saying.
18:13But commanding your seats at the table is something that you have to do.
18:19You cannot sit back and relax because this is a time where black people are striving.
18:25We are successful.
18:26And if you sit back, they're going to let you.
18:29They're going to let you sit back.
18:30And they're going to say, she didn't add anything to the conversation.
18:34And it's like, you didn't ask.
18:35But that's what they're going to say.
18:37So you have to demand your space and just allow people to hear your voice.
18:42Because when they hear your voice, I promise they won't try it again.
18:46When they see that you have a voice, they will say, okay.
18:49Let me step back.
18:50And so being in the HBCU has given me that space to apply myself and to put myself in positions where maybe I'm not comfortable.
18:59But who's ever succeeded when they were comfortable?
19:03So I thank y'all.
19:05So I'm blessed to have been in the HBCU because it has truly shaped my now, new, and the next.
19:13Amazing.
19:14And Jaz, I want to toss the question to you as well.
19:17Also coming from Spelman, where black women, that's the demographic.
19:22You guys lean on each other.
19:24And sometimes in a lot of situations, you guys are the only people that you have.
19:29So kind of same, similar question.
19:31How did you connect with your peers and how has that kind of influenced your creator journey as well?
19:38Yeah, I think the only reason I am up on the stage right now is because of a Spelman woman.
19:44Because of a text message.
19:46Because of, you know, my profile literally put me in positions to win.
19:52And I'm forever grateful.
19:53But to your point, I felt uncomfortable at Spelman for four years.
19:57Like, it's so crazy because while I was at Spelman, like, everything was trying me at that school.
20:02Like, you stick 2,000 girls behind a gate, everyone's going to try you.
20:07Like, it was an interesting journey.
20:10But, you know, hindsight's always 20-20.
20:12I look back on it and I was like, that was the best experience of my life.
20:15I would not be who I am today.
20:17I would not get the opportunities I have gotten today without Spelman.
20:21I am forever indebted to it.
20:23And I would honestly argue I kind of took it for granted while I was there.
20:26Because then I got to law school and I went to Emory.
20:29And I didn't realize how much of a paradise I was in, how much of a safe space that I was in.
20:35And, you know, at first it was kind of jolting.
20:37It was kind of like I felt imposter syndrome.
20:40I felt alone.
20:41I felt inadequate.
20:42And I was like, no, this is what Spelman prepared you for.
20:44It made me uncomfortable for four years to get to this point.
20:48And I think, you know, all of the lessons that I learned at Spelman between womanhood,
20:56between, you know, what is the best quick weave to wear,
21:01between, you know, how to blend your makeup to, you know, how to put yourself in positions to win
21:06are all things that are so ingrained in me and have carried me in so many different spaces.
21:13I feel like Spelman made me like a chameleon.
21:15Like, I was in business school.
21:17I was in law school, you know.
21:18I'm in place.
21:19I'm in Atlanta.
21:20I'm in New York.
21:21I'm in different environments.
21:24But I still feel this, you know, this pull to make myself known there.
21:30And I think that's what Spelman teaches you.
21:32And, you know, even further, when you go on the Internet, you have to present yourself a certain way,
21:37you know.
21:37And I think Spelman really taught me, you know, how to articulate myself very well,
21:42how to hold space on the Internet, how to hold my certain corner, how to reach my demographic.
21:48I am forever indebted to Spelman.
21:51Amazing.
21:52And, Kamina, I'm excited to ask you this question because I know you got an answer for me, girl.
21:56How can we continue to create spaces for Black creatives, Black entrepreneurs, Black people in corporate,
22:03any intersecting?
22:04How can we continue to create spaces to let them feel empowered and, you know, not having to conform to traditional norms?
22:12I love this question.
22:13I do have an answer for you.
22:14I know you do.
22:15So, for starters, one thing that I have mentioned earlier is when you get to these places, don't just stick here.
22:24Bring somebody else up with you.
22:26Leave this seat warm for the next beautiful Black woman who wants to be in this same space.
22:32I have mentors.
22:32I mean, mentors, yes, I do.
22:34And I have mentees.
22:34And I think some of them are out here.
22:36I really can't see y'all.
22:36I'm blind.
22:37But I have mentees, and I do.
22:40I did a check-in on Friday with them.
22:42And even though you're like, you're still in school.
22:44What are you doing a check-in for?
22:45Because they see me doing things.
22:47They ask me questions.
22:48They call me.
22:50They're like, Mina, I really want to do this.
22:52Be like, hey, I might not can't help you, but I'm going to put you in contact with somebody who can.
22:55And when someone puts you in contact with them, follow up.
22:59But also, don't just stick there.
23:00I'm going to tell y'all something, okay?
23:02Don't just be looking for a seat at the table.
23:04I'm a big person on like, yeah, I want to be wearing my pink suit and be at the head of the table.
23:09Make your own table because that is something that's going to break in.
23:13When we have a breakthrough, we're not looking to be sitting at the same table with the same people, with the same CEOs, okay?
23:20Bring in that new insight, that new uncomfortable motive that both of my peers have mentioned up here.
23:26Like, that's something that's crazy.
23:28That's something that's beautiful, and that's something that is new.
23:31So if it's one thing you do take from me today, you know, be crazy.
23:35I told y'all she had an answer for us.
23:39All right.
23:40And Kaylin, I want to know, looking ahead and as our theme for GU Disruptor Summit is the next era,
23:47how, or actually, what is your ultimate vision for how your work can impact your community and inspire future generations?
23:53Oh, I love this question, too.
23:56I'm like, ooh, I'm excited.
23:57I am so into motivation and trying to inspire whoever.
24:05I create videos on social media.
24:08I did it all through college where I'm like, Motivational Thursdays.
24:12So on a Thursday, if someone saw me, they were like, oh, it's Thursday.
24:17Like, is the video coming out today?
24:18You know?
24:18And I would invite different people to come and be a part of Motivational Thursdays and just share a piece of their story.
24:26Because I feel as though when people really share their stories, so many individuals find out that they are not alone in their journey.
24:34And it's like sometimes we kind of think that we are.
24:38And it's like, this is so traumatic.
24:40Like, I may be the only person that's going through this.
24:43But y'all, when I would ask people to share a piece of their stories, I found that everyone that I asked, I was connected to in some kind of way.
24:53There was something that I connected to.
24:56There was something that we had gone through together.
24:59And I, sometimes I didn't even know them.
25:01You know, they see me and I'm like, sure, you can be a Motivational Thursday.
25:04I mean, I'm not picky.
25:05Like, whatever.
25:05But being able to inspire for the rest of my life, being able to motivate through my creativity, through my content, and just having real connections with people.
25:19Not just looking at someone as a connection.
25:22You know, it's kind of evident when you see someone and you're looking at them as a network.
25:27Like, let me go talk to her because she can do this for me.
25:31You know?
25:31It's not fair.
25:33And so having those genuine connections where you're like, okay, where are you from?
25:39And I'm from Chicago.
25:40I love to say that.
25:41And any time I hear someone saying like, okay, Chicago, I'm like, okay, Harold's or Uncle Remus.
25:46You know, stuff like that.
25:48So I'm really into just trying to be my best self so it comes across as authentic.
25:55So it comes across as being the person that people want to look up to.
25:59Because people fall.
26:01You know, people have traumatic things that happen to them and they fall off the face of the earth.
26:06And it's like, you know, what happened to so-and-so?
26:07I loved her story.
26:08And I just pray and I, you know, have this connection like, God, please do not let that happen to me.
26:15I am trying my best to just ensure that every day that I wake up I'm putting my best foot forward so that when people see that,
26:21they can see how it is to put your best foot forward every day and to always just command the room no matter what space that you're in.
26:30Amazing.
26:31There's so much power coming from these mics.
26:33I'm just kind of staring and absorbing.
26:35And I hope you guys are too.
26:37And Jazz, I want to also toss that question to you as well.
26:39You spoke about how you really use your platform to show women in all of their forms.
26:45We can be sad.
26:46We can be relaxed.
26:47We can be happy.
26:49You show us in every single corner.
26:51So same question.
26:52How do you kind of use that purpose to impact further generations?
26:57I think I have a very, social media is very unique.
27:01And I found this when I started expanding my platforms.
27:04I was really on TikTok.
27:06And, you know, when we think of TikTok, we think of very Gen Z.
27:09And then I started going on Instagram and it was a little bit older.
27:14And then when I started getting on YouTube, it was a little bit older.
27:17And now that I'm on three different platforms, it's generations younger than me, generations older than me.
27:23And ever since being on those three different platforms, I've started to think like what my impact is,
27:28what I want, what I want it to be because I'm speaking to a whole bunch of different people.
27:33But I know they're here for the same purpose.
27:35And I know why I'm here.
27:37You know, I believe women should rest.
27:38I believe in luxury.
27:39I believe in soft life.
27:40I believe in, you know, pouring into yourself.
27:43You can't give, you can't pour into other people without pouring into yourself first.
27:47You should always put yourself first.
27:49So I think about like what's next and like what's next for like this generation.
27:55What's next for me.
27:56And I think it is just, I think it's maintaining my purpose and doing it in a whole bunch of
28:03different ways, doing it, speaking, expanding my platforms, you know, thinking about like
28:09a book, a podcast, whatever it might be, expanding it so more people can feel understood, more
28:15people can feel safe.
28:17I want to pour, my community means everything to me.
28:20Um, so just figuring out ways that I can reach as many people as possible and social media
28:26is a great way to do that.
28:27But I also know things like this, like speaking stuff where I can be like face to face is important.
28:32Um, I, I love, I absolutely love what I do.
28:36So I hope I can do it for many, many more years.
28:38But yeah, and you're doing an amazing job.
28:42All right.
28:44And Kamina, next question is, how has the AT&T Rising Future Makers program supported
28:49your passion and your goals as you really continue throughout your journey?
28:54Yes.
28:54Thank you for this question.
28:56Um, in seven months, I will be walking across that stage.
28:58So it's a very, very sweet woman.
29:00But, thank you guys.
29:02But with AT&T, it is a family, especially with my 23 class.
29:07I know I can speak.
29:09Um, I'm literally going to NCATS Homecoming with a few of them.
29:12We put each other onto opportunities.
29:14Some of us are even applying to Columbia together.
29:17And with AT&T, I call up Jasmine, or I even call up Belma, and I'm like, hey, like, what
29:23are you guys doing?
29:24Or maybe even Matt.
29:25And they're just like, nothing.
29:26What about you?
29:27And we're just having a conversation.
29:28How's school going?
29:29How are your grades?
29:31Like, oh, do you need anything?
29:32They're always going to be there.
29:35There is no question that is a dumb question with them.
29:37And they will invest in you, even beyond.
29:40And really, it just made me look at myself with endless opportunities.
29:44There are doors that I never thought I would be able to open.
29:48And like Kaylin has said, like, with God, all things are possible.
29:51And through him, let's just get that straight.
29:54And then for the second part of that as well, my name has been mentioned in so many rooms that
29:59I'm not even in.
30:00And it is thanks to AT&T.
30:02Even people be like, oh, hey, yeah, someone from AT&T told me about you.
30:05Really?
30:05Like, my face is out there, you guys.
30:07And I'm like, oh, my goodness, with a quote.
30:09And I think it's just so crazy.
30:11And it's amazing.
30:14Amazing.
30:14And Kaylin, how would you, you know, AT&T's kind of mission with this initiative is to
30:21lead in and usher in the next generation.
30:24So how would you define a future maker and what makes you one today?
30:27I would say a future maker is someone who inspires and innovates for the future.
30:37I definitely look at things from the past and I'm like, okay, let's not do that again.
30:44You know, let's stray away from that.
30:45So being a person that isn't making the same mistakes and ensuring that whatever you do
30:52next is going to help you in some kind of way or help others around you is something
30:56that I firmly believe in.
30:58Being a future maker is important because there are so many people that live in the past.
31:05And it's kind of hard to move forward when the past is all that you're thinking about.
31:11You know, not forgiving people and it's like, it's kind of on you.
31:14Like, you'll see them and you're like, I don't know.
31:17I don't know if I want to be nice to them.
31:19And it's like, you may not think it's, you know, important, but things like that really
31:24takes a toll on you inside.
31:26And it's like, you may not think that you are being affected in any kind of way, but
31:31now you're feeling just weird all the time.
31:35Like, you don't have energy.
31:36You don't have strength.
31:37And it's like, that emotion really does play a part and play a role in who you are.
31:43So ensuring that what you do is for the future and you're not, you know, constantly looking
31:50in the past and just trying to be the best person that you can be every day that you wake
31:54up and every time that you have an opportunity to speak or to just do something outside of
31:59your comfort zone is definitely something that I would say will make me a future maker
32:03only because I am definitely someone that always steps out of my comfort zone, someone
32:08that's always looking for an opportunity.
32:09And when given the chance, I always say, okay, if God wants me to be here, if God is
32:15putting me here, he's putting me in this position to say something, to do something where I can
32:20help or assist in any kind of way, then who am I to say no?
32:25Who am I to not take this opportunity in hopes to inspire someone?
32:30And as AT&T says, you know, just help someone for the future.
32:35Be better in the future.
32:36You're shaping the now, the new, and the next.
32:38And that was our thing for being an AT&T future maker.
32:41So it's definitely been an experience.
32:44And I am so blessed.
32:45AT&T is the reason that I am here.
32:47So I'm blessed.
32:48And it's just something that I will never take for granted.
32:52Amazing.
32:52And I think the perfect way to close out this conversation is we talked about a lot of individuality.
32:58We talked about those challenging moments.
33:00Is there a mantra or an affirmation?
33:02And Jazz, I want to start with you.
33:04That keeps you motivated during those times.
33:07People try us.
33:08People try us every single day.
33:09So what is something that really just keeps you going that you tell yourself to bring you
33:13back down to earth?
33:15Good question.
33:16I have so many because if you watch any of my content, I say affirmations every day
33:22while I'm brushing my teeth, while I'm going.
33:25I tell people all the time affirmations are so powerful because just how you're saying you
33:29can't do it.
33:30It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
33:31You have to say you can do it, right?
33:33I would say the one that keeps going through my head lately that I keep writing down is
33:40show me how good it gets.
33:43I've really been loving that one.
33:45You know, I think a lot of times, you know, when we pray or, you know, we ask God for things,
33:50you know, sometimes we're praying over things that are hard in our life that are happening
33:56in our life.
33:57Sometimes you have to just ask them, show me how good it gets.
34:00Like, I deserve this.
34:02I'm going to go for it.
34:03Like, there is no limit for it.
34:05Show me how good this can get.
34:08And I have just been like writing it down and saying it.
34:11It's just been in the back of my mind.
34:12You know, I might be scared to do this.
34:14And it's just like, show me how good it gets.
34:17I love that.
34:19Kamina, again, I know you got a good one, girl.
34:21I kind of do, you guys.
34:22I might be stealing that one.
34:23That was really good.
34:24Hold on a second.
34:25But I say this in my car and I say, Lord, for I do not know, but I trust you even if my
34:30no is not yet.
34:31That's, that is literally what I live by.
34:33I'm like, okay, maybe this no is not yet, you guys.
34:36That is what I tell myself and that's what keeps me going.
34:38Because I actually got a no yesterday, but I'm like, hey, that's a not yet God.
34:42So let's run it back again next year and we'll see.
34:45Amazing.
34:45And Kaylin, close us out, girl.
34:47I did tell y'all that I went to Clark.
34:50So my mantra is find a way or make one.
34:55Yes.
34:56Find a way or make one.
34:58I live by that.
35:01And if I didn't learn anything else at Clark Atlanta, it was find a way or make one.
35:07Y'all, it is so serious.
35:08Like, you will need to do that in life.
35:11When there is no way, make it.
35:13And I don't even get mad.
35:14Like, you know, you were saying, you sometimes make it a no and that's okay.
35:20But if you find a way or you make a way, you don't get a no.
35:24But, I mean, of course, some things are just not for you.
35:27You know, God has, he may not open this one door because he has a bigger one.
35:31But being in those spaces where you can have that door open and you just need, you know, a little push,
35:38you just got to kind of shove it open a little bit just to see what's on the other side.
35:43Finding a way or making one is definitely how I live my life.
35:45And because of that, I've had endless opportunities and just an overwhelming amount of blessings
35:51that if I didn't find my own way, then there wouldn't have been a path for me to go that route.
35:57So, Clark Atlanta, stand up.
36:00And that is a way to close it out.
36:02Can we give these ladies a big round of applause?
36:05Thank you so much.
36:08And if there's anything you take home, connect with your peers.
36:11There are so many different people here at GU Disruptor Summit from every single space,
36:16industry, anything that you can think of.
36:18Take this time to genuinely connect.
36:21And you never know where you'll be in your next era.
36:24Thank you, guys.
36:41HBCU students, AT&T's got your back.
36:53Ready to snack $5,000 in opportunities that will take your dreams to new heights?
36:59Look, AT&T is committed to creating great opportunities for HBCU students.
37:03Think about what you can do with the right network.
37:05We're talking 5K to fuel your dreams,
37:07TechPacks to boost your ideas,
37:09and mentorship with industry pros.
37:11I am an AT&T Rising Future Maker.
37:14Apply now for the chance to be one of 25 AT&T Rising Future Makers.
37:17All right.
37:21Thanks.
37:23Thanks.
37:27Thanks.
37:28Bye.
37:45Bye.
37:45Bye.
37:46All right.
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